“I think what definitely made it pretty special was reading the report on Doc Gooden’s Friday nights. That definitely fired me up…The energy was definitely there and going out there was something special…I think I learned from tonight’s start I came out the first inning a little bit too pumped up. As the start went on, I could feel my body get a little tired. That was the first big Friday night I guess you could say. It’s something I learned from and maybe tone down a little bit after the first inning.”

Doc Gooden’s support and what it means to him:

“I grew up watching the guy. That’s something special. That’s something that when I was younger I was wanting to be like that guy. Wanting to be like guys of his caliber. For him to say stuff about me and to come out to one of my starts, it’s kind of mind-boggling.”